Clay Burton, brother of Trey, dumps Notre Dame for Florida Gators.

Clay Burton is a Florida Gator. And there is one mother of two football players who could not be more happy.

Cindy Burton MacFarlane, mother of current Gators' freshman quarterback Trey Burton, was elated when coaches Steve Addazio and Urban Meyer called the family Sunday night to offer younger brother Clay Burton a scholarship. It didn't take long for the family to call back and accept.

"Definitely very excited. I couldn't pass up the opportunity," Clay said Monday night. "It's everything to be able to experience this together (with Trey) and to have someone to confide in while we go through it and just basically be brothers. I wouldn't rather spend time with anybody than him. We take this road together."

Mom couldn't agree more.

"They offered and that was it. You want to have all of your options available to you before you make a decision, but we weren't sure Florida was going to offer," Cindy said. "Clay had to earn it and the only way he could do that was become a leader without Trey.

"At the University of Florida, those guys are hard to impress. That's a top-notch football program and they only want the best of the best and Clay really had to earn it."

It also makes for some unhappy Notre Dame fans and coaches. Not fully expecting a Florida offer, Clay Burton committed to Notre Dame on Sept. 24, and so he had to let the Irish coaches know he had changed his mind on Sunday night.

"It was really really hard but it had to be done and hopefully they'll understand sooner or later," Clay said of his phone call to Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diacco and others. "They definitely did not agree with my decision. They still feel like Notre Dame is best place for me, but I don't any more."

"Our family decision was that he would not commit somewhere and then decommit at a later time," Cindy said, "so it's very hard when you tell someone that you won't decommit and then change your mind. But Clay really felt llike he had to take it."

Clay Burton is a 6-foot-3, 230-pound linebacker at Venice High, the same place Trey starred last season as a senior quarterback.

"Clay is a middle child and so he's not a natural-born leader the way that Trey is as the oldest," Cindy said. "He had to step up this year and he really worked hard. He's really a normal 18-year-old who is becoming the person he's supposed to be whereas with Trey, he's always been that way."

Clay said the one thing unclear at this time is what position the Gators want him to play.

"I'll do anything it takes to get on the field early," Clay said. "I'll just go out there with a good attitude, great passion, and a lot of intensity and play to the best of my ability.'

And now mom has both boys set to live in the same city.

"It's great. They are really really close and they are even looking to see about living together," Cindy said. "They are really close in age. Clayton turned 18 last week on the 22nd and Trey will turn 19 on the 29th ... they call it Irish Twins and they really are just like twins."

Irish Twins, oh the irony. Now they'll have to be called Gator Twins.

It wasn't long after news got out Monday that older brother Trey posted on his Facebook status, "Momma We Did It! Welcome To The Gator Nation Clay! Haaaaaa The Haters Gonna Hate Us Now! :) God Is Good."

Clay and the Venice Indians will face a tough task Friday night when they play rival and last year's Class 5A state runner-up Manatee for the 5A, District 10 title. Venice is 6-2 and 3-0 in the district. Manatee is 7-0 and 2-0.

The game could also match the two latest Florida Gators' commitments. Burton, of course, on one side, and Manatee running Mike Blakely on the other. Blakely is expected to commit to Florida on Tuesday. He is also considering Auburn.